Internet entrepreneur Gary Wang is gearing up to start an animated-film studio to make movies for Chinese audiences. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, the 39-year-old Mr. Wang, who founded online video site Tudou.com in 2005, talked about his experience at Tudou and its merger last year with rival video site Youku. The following is an edited version of the interview. Read More »

Authorities in Shanghai late Tuesday appealed for calm as they acknowledged finding far more dead pigs in local rivers than earlier indicated and laid blame for the gruesome waterway disposal on careless farmers in a neighboring Chinese province; the nation’s top spies told senators that the U.S. is vulnerable to attacks and destruction of computer networks, both from government-sponsored assaults as well as from hackers and terrorists; after running China’s largest online video site, Tudou.com founder Gary Wang is gearing up to start his next project: China’s answer to Pixar.

As China’s economic clout grows, its largest companies are giving foreign firms a run for their money in securing the best talent in the country.

Though the hunt for the best employees remains a challenge for businesses world-wide, the scenario is no less competitive in China, General Electric Vice Chairman John Rice said in an interview at The Wall Street Journal’s Unleashing Innovation conference.

“In China, in particular, there has been an emergence in the last 10 years of local champions, really good quality local companies that now we have to compete with for people, so we’ve got to be at the top of our game…if we are we can win our share, but it’s definitely competitive,” he said. Read More »

Social media sites are giving China’s millions of Internet users a channel to express themselves and could open the door to “unstoppable” transformation in the country, the founder of video site Tudou.com says.

“Younger generations are getting a taste for being able to express themselves,” said Tudou’s Gary Wang during The Wall Street Journal’s Unleashing Innovation conference. “It will be very difficult to put that into a cage. I’m optimistic that this will be unstoppable.”

Smartphones have hastened the adoption of social media tools, such as Sina Corp.’s Twitter-like weibo service, among China’s 500-million-plus Internet users. Read More »

China tech sector has taken its first step towards becoming more like Silicon Valley after the Youku-Tudou deal.

After Youku announced that it would take over Tudou in an all-share swap on Monday, in China’s highest profile internet deal, Citigroup thinks it’s the beginning of a wave of M&A activity in the sector. Aside from Youku, other high-profile corporate activity in the Chinese tech sector in recent months includes Alibaba Group’s privatization of its Hong Kong-listed unit, and Shanda Interactive Entertainment’s buyout by management. Read More »

The Obama administration moves to pressure China to end export restrictions on materials used in high-tech goods; a section of a rail line in China collapsed two months before it was set to open, the latest blow to the country’s high-speed rail ambitions; Chinese online video company Youku reached an agreement to acquire its chief competitor, Tudou in a deal that will solidify their dominance of the sector. Read More »

Actor Charmaine Sheh of the Hong Kong drama “When Heaven Burns,” at an award show in Seoul in August.

A controversial Hong Kong television drama depicting scenes of cannibalism has touched the nerve in Beijing, for reasons that may go much further than a mere disapproval of its violent content.

“When Heaven Burns,” a bleak portrayal of humanity produced by broadcaster Television Broadcasts Ltd., has been banned in mainland China in what the Hong Kong media said was the first such move against a Hong Kong soap opera in more than two decades. With just four episodes to go, Chinese state censors ordered TVB’s mainland sub-licensees, online video companies Youku.com and Tudou.com and nine other website operators to remove the show from their sites, the television station said. TVB said Wednesday it is trying to seek clarification from Chinese authorities.

While the reason for the censorship remains unclear, the move is set to intensify an already heated online discussion about the show because of its unusual plot point: cannibalism. Read More »

Baidu’s efforts to make nice with copyright owners may be starting to pay off.

The U.S. Trade Representative, or USTR, has removed Chinese search giant Baidu from its name-and-shame list of “notorious” markets for piracy, and praised the company for resolving its years-long battle with the music industry through an agreement to post links to licensed music tracks from major record labels. Read More »

Your round-up of the best of The Wall Street Journal’s China coverage over the weekend:

Residents of the besieged village of Wukan vow to carry on protests this week and show signs of settling in for a long standoff with Chinese authorities; average property prices in Chinese cities drop for the second consecutive time, Beijing announces real-name registration for microbloggers, video site Youku sues a rival and more. Read More »

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China Real Time Report is a vital resource for an expanding global community trying to keep up with a country changing minute by minute. The site offers quick insight and sharp analysis from the wide network of Dow Jones reporters across Greater China, including Dow Jones Newswires’ specialists and The Wall Street Journal’s award-winning team. It also draws on the insights of commentators close to the hot topic of the day in law, policy, economics and culture. Its editors can be reached at chinarealtime@wsj.com.